Shibusen Academy
by RazenX
Summary: At Shibusen, Shinigami, the god of death, trains his ultimate weapons to battle the evil kishin and witches. With a new year starting, meister and weapon will embark on a grand adventure to defeat the dark forces that infect the world.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first fan fic that I've written down, but hopefully not the last. This takes place in an AU, with Shinigami and most of the the death scythes the same but the main characters not present. Please review and tell me if I do anything wrong. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater**

**Shibusen Academy**

It was early morning and the light was just entering the tiny house. The streak of light fell on the girl's face, causing her eyes to creak open. She sat up from her small bed, a tiny grin on her face. _So today's the big day, _the girl thought, the smile growing larger. Swinging her feet out of bed, the girl stood up, stretching her back. She was wearing a faded pink nightdress, which contrasted her dark chestnut hair. Tying her shoulder length hair with a yellow ribbon, she went to get changed out of her nightgown and prepare for the day.

The girl's companion was already up and waiting for her. The teen had smooth brown hair, with three white points at the front. The boy was wearing a crimson jacket with a black undershirt. His right hand had a fingerless glove on. For pants he had black jeans, with a hole torn in the right knee. Vir Vesica had piercing emerald eyes that bored into you. The teenager was eating his breakfast, waiting impatiently for his partner. "_And people say I'm lazy," _thought the teen with a smirk.

"Hey, you're up." Vir turned around to see his partner coming down the stairwell. Zoe Lumen had changed into a brown vest with a bright pink undershirt with a skull on it. The female partner had boots and blue pants on, with stars on the legs. Her eyes were like her companion's, except hers were the color of the ocean. She was smiling brightly at the eating teen.

"Yeah, yeah, big surprise. It's a big day so I was anxious. Get a bite to eat so we can go," said Vir with a full mouth.

Zoe shook her head and grinned. The two of them were polar opposites and yet somehow best friends. While she was studious, Vir usually was daydreaming or sleeping. Zoe was outgoing and open; Vir was loud and jovial. Everyone who knew them said their partnership would never work; Vir was too lazy and unskilled. They had proved those people wrong, becoming closer than ever. "_And today we begin our real partnership."_

_XXX_

"So are you nervous?" The two of them were walking down the still sleepy Main Street, with the shops just opening. The strange sun with a face was already in the skies over Death City, beginning to bake the desert city.

"I'll tell you what Zo, if anything I'm excited. I have a feeling this will be a great year." Vir looked up at the sun, a grimace on his face. "But why did it have to be in a desert. It gets so damn hot you could bake an egg on the ground! That stupid sun is mocking me, I just know it will be a sauna today!"

Zoe giggled, putting her hand to her mouth. "_He always makes me laugh."_ She had to agree with her friend though. _"I'm already sweating!" _

"Hey you still here?" Zoe started, turning quickly to the teen.

"Hello? Earth to Zoe?" Vir was poking her in the arm, trying to get her attention.

"Sorry Vir. What is it?"

"We're here."

Zoe swerved, staring at the strange building in front of her. It was a massive black castle, with red shingles on the top of the towers. Two towers were off to the side, with two more jutting out from the center. Above these towers were three black spheres. In between the central towers were two smaller towers, and next to those were tow even smaller. There were tow hut like structures to the sides, each with a massive candle sticking out of the door. In the front of it all were three skulls, with the center one having spikes protrude from the eyes and nose.

"Certainly over the top, isn't it?"

"You can say that again Zo." Vir turned, smiling at his partner as he stuck his thumb towards the building. "Shall we go?"

Zoe took his hand, saying "Follow the yellow brick road."

Hand-in-hand, the duo climbed the steps to Death Weapon Meister Acadmey (DWMA) and their destiny.

**That's chapter one. Sorry if it's crappy, if anyone can tell me what to change i'd appreciate it. **

**Thank You. I will update as soon as possible. Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**It's been awhile. Thank you so much for the OCs. The ones I already have will be main characters, any more I get will be side characters. Anyway, here is chapter 2!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.**

**Chapter 1: New year, Old friends**

"Why do they always change where the room is! It's so hard to find," grumbled Vir.

The two partners stood outside of their classroom, which like most of the rooms in this school, shifted places during break.

"Stop whining would you. You were so excited outside," Zoe playfully said.

"I forgot how annoying the first day is. Alright let's get this over with."

Vir opened the door and they walked into...

Absolute Madness.

Since anyone (or anything for that matter) could be a meister or a weapon, Shibusen recieved students from all corners of the world. Naturally the first day back was chaos. Kids were running around, screaming, wrestling, fighting, you name it. You could barely hear yourself speak in this room.

"Let's try and find someone!" shouted Zoe over the roar.

"Emphasis on try!"

Hand-in-hand again, the teens pushed their way through the mob. After five minutes of searching, they finally bumped into someone. Literally.

"Gwah!" came two shouts as Vir collided with someone. Rolling her eyes, Zoe turned to see who her partner had hit.

"Watch where you're going Sarge," grinned Vir as he jumped up.

The man he crashed with's name was Zack. A former army officer, Zack had the appearance of a sterotypical one. His outfit was all green, complete with camoflauge jacket and dog tags. His brown hair was cut short, and he was glaring at Vir.

"Keep your eyes open and watch where your going!"

"Good to see you too."

Zoe was grining at this when she was hugged from behind.

"Zoe! It's great to see you!"

Returning the hug, Zoe griined at Zack's partner. Erin's dark brown hair hung in a ponytail behind her back and her dark brown eyes stared at Zoe. The teen's pale skin was made more noticeable by her apparel: black shirt and jeans, with a dark blue jacket over top. The only thing light about her outfit was the silver dragon on the jacket.

"Great to see you too! You have a good break?"

"Sure did. It was so much fun! I wish you guys could have come!"

Zoe giggled. "With those two, I'm not sure that's possible!" Vir and Zack were now in a full-blown argument, complete with curses.

"I'll break that up. See you later!"

Erin wasn't even gone a minute when three people tackled Zoe.

"Zoe! Nice to see you!"

"Hi Zoe."

"Great to see you!"

Zoe exhaled, groaning, "Jake, Twins? Can you get off of me?"

"Oh sorry!" The three said at the same time. The fraternal twins, Delaine and Lucia, wore nearly identical outfits. Both wore black corsets and dark pants. Deliane wore a black skirt, Lucia wore black leather pants. Both wore black jackets: Lucia's was a trenchcoat however. Both were the same height and had the same strong legs. The diffrerences were their colors. Delaine was pale; Lucia was darker skinned. Delaine's hair was pink; Lucia's was dark blue. Delaine's eyes were blue; Lucia's green.

Their partner, Jake Thorns, wore a huge grin on his face, his large canines showing. The teen's silver hair was in a spiky backslick, and his heterochromatic eyes (one red, one blue) gleamed in the light. His lastname was well represented on his shirt, which had a vicious rose with thorns like daggers on it. The rest of his clothes were, shock, black. Like his partner, he had on a black trench coat, as well as dark pants.

"Heh, Zoe you haven't changed! Where's the knucklehead?"

"I heard that Rose boy," Vir said as he walked in to the conversation.

"Great to see you man," came the response as the teens clapped each other on the back.

"Everone quiet down!"

"Oh crap the teach! See you go!" With that, Jake grabbed the twins and dragged them away. Zoe and Vir sweatdropped.

"Well, we probably should take a seat."

"Aww, but Vir, I haven't said hi to everyone yet," whined Zoe.

"You're such a brat," laughed Vir, shaking his head.

"Hey!"

"Come on!"

XXX

"... and now...special contest!"

"Huh, what?"

"You look so cute when you sleep!"

Vir's head shot up, jaw slack. Zoe put her sleeve to her mouth and giggled.

"I knew that would get you. Come on you'll like this."

"So now class! Tonight there will be a special Kishin in the city. The first team to defeat this Kishin will recieve a special prize. But there will be plenty of other kishin in the city. So stay sharp! Alright class dismissed."

The students cheered loudly at that as they stormed out of the classroom. Zoe saw the twins, Jake, Erin, and Zack leave with the group.

"Come on Vir, let's go!"

Vir put his head down and groaned, "Five more minutes."

"You are so lazy. Come on!" Zoe grabbed the teen and dragged him out of the room.

"Long time no see you two."

Zoe, still in the process of dragging her partner, turned her head. Two more of their friends were standing there, grinning. Andreas Darkwood ran a hand through his spiky black hair, laughing at the pair's antics. His outfit was shockingly not black, wearing blue jeans and shirt, with a white one underneath. His partner, Caressa Violati, looked very much like a vampire, with flowing silver hair, pale skin, and purple eyes. Though she looked like a vampire, she was not dressed like one, with a pink top and a blue skirt.

"Zo, you look great," exclaimed Caressa as she walked towards the girl.

"You too," replied Zoe, dropping Vir on the floor with a thud.

"Ow. Hey Andre, can you help me up?"

"Sure thing dude."

After a few minutes of catching up, the conversation swung to the contest.

"I'm suprised you heard about Vir, sleepy head that you are!" Andreas laughed as he put Vir in a headlock.

"You won't be laughing when we win!"

"Fat chance, I'll be victorious!"

"Will not!"

Vir had once again started an argument. Andreas and the teen were now wrestling on the floor, trying to pin each other. The girls saw this and laughed.

"So mature isn't he?"

"Not even close!"

XXX

"You feel that?"

Darkness had filled the city, the creepy moon laughing overhead. The teams had been dispatched, searching the city for their target. Vir and Zoe had been fightning for hours, collecting Kishin Egg Souls along the way. Fatigue had just begun to seep into the bodies. The team was currently in a back alley, hiding in the shadows.

"Yeah," replied Zoe, "my whole body has goosebumps."

"This had better be the freaking target, this is starting to piss me off," growled Vir.

Suddenly, a massive cloud of dust and rock blasted towards the teens. Thinking fast, Vir grabbed Zoe and shielded her with his body. When the dust had settled, Zoe was staring right into Vir's eyes.

"Um thanks!"

"Yeah..um..no problem!"

Quickly righting themselves, the partners ran into the main road to see what had caused the dust cloud. Standing in a crater in the middle of the road was a Kishin the likes of which they had never seen. Eight muscled arms ran out from its body in random order, ending in razor-like talons. Around its waist hung various skulls of animals, all of which were snapping and oozing crimson blood. The sides of its body were lined in ebony spikes; its wide feet covered in barbs. The head of the beast was like a minotaur, except for the skull mask on its face. A wide slit in the skull bled openly, acid dripping freely.

"Oh my god!" gasped Zoe.

"Don't worry I'm here."

"I wasn't scared!"

"Right, whatever you say!"

"Just change form!"

Smirking, Vir jumped into the air and disappeared in smoke. When it settled, Zoe held a broadsword in her hand, altough it was unlike any normal sword. It was a sickly crimson color, like dried blood. The sharp edge and hilt looked to be made of demonic flesh, with a large demonic eye in the center. Zoe didn't have time to look at Vir's weapon form however, she was to busy dodging a slash from the demon's claws.

Zoe jumped off a nearby building and attacked the Kishin. Claw met steel as Zoe slashed and stabbed. The kishin's claws lashed as it tried to catch Zoe in one of its mouths. The acrobatic Zoe was dodging easily, but couldn't manage to stab the monster.

Back and forth the combatants went, not giving any quarter. Zoe's acrobatics were matched with the kishin's power. Zoe tried to slash on of the flailing arms off, but was greeted with a fist to the chest. Slamming into the wall, Zoe yelped in pain.

Vir's voice came from the sword, "You okay? This guy is tougher than I thought."

"I'm fine, but I may have an idea."

Jumping to her feet, Zoe shouted out, "FORMSHIFT!"

The sword in her hand disappered in a puff of smoke, and when it reappered, it looked completely different. Vir no longer looked like a demon blade, but a majestic saber. The hilt was made of pure gold, studded with rubies. The black blade shined in the moonlight, glistening in its ebony metal. The "eye" was replaced with a large diamond. Zoe aimed the blade at the monster.

"SABER FORM!"

A demon claw shot forward at Zoe, ready to rip her to sheds. In an instant, the limb was flailing on the ground, spurting black blood. Screaming in agony, the Kishin charged at Zoe, snatching at her and sending acid everywhere. Leaping into the air, Zoe took off another limb of the beast. The rest of the limbs shot at her, but were blasted off the sword.

The fight continued, the sound of clashing metal echoing through the night. The speed focused saber gave Zoe an advantage, but the beast was wearing her down. Every time she sliced, she had to dodge quickly from its acid blood. The beast's spikes made it impossible to touch without cutting oneself.

Cartwheeling over the monster, Zoe landed in front of the Kishin with grace. The beast was dripping acid everywhere, its body adorned with cuts. The whole street was ruined, buildings smahed and road destroyed. The beast showed no sign of stopping, and was preparing for another assault.

"Alright, let's put an end to this show! Make it spectacular!"

Zoe nodded, "Right!"

Bracing for the last attack, Zoe prepared to charge the monster. She never got a chance though.

A blur slashed across the Kishin's head, disappearing onto the roof. The acid blood exploded with the monster's head as it split in two. The beast's body crashed to the ground, blood going everywhere. The carcass burst into flames, a shout of "Mortal Summer!" splitting the air.

Vir transformed, jaw slack. Zoe was just staring at the body.

"After all that...what?" Zoe said dumbfounded.

Looking to the roof Vir saw another meister. Axe and sword in hand, Richter had a smirk on his face. The older meister wore a long black suit jacket and brown gloves, with dark pants and boots to match. Long crimson hair flowed down his head, covering his elf-like ears. Without saying a word, Richter turned and left.

"So...I guess we lose."

Vir groaned, saying, "At least Andreas didn't win."

**There's chapter two. Since this one will be shorter than my avatar one, the update plan is 2 Avatar chapters, 1 Soul Eater. But I promise the next one will be out before 2011! Be sure to review.**

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	3. Chapter 3

**I've returned. I'm sorry for not updating, but I've been pretty busy. I finally have some free time and now that I have the story planned out, more chapters will be coming. Now that it's closed, thanks for the great characters, I hope I do them justice. And now so I can keep my promise of writing this before 2011, here's the next chapter!**

**Disclamier: I do not own Soul Eater or any of the characters.**

Chapter 2: The Journey begins! Shinigami's plan for better Meisters!

The sun, laughing loudly, shone over all of Death City. The whole town was bathed in early morning light. The town was already bustling as people went on with their average daily lives. Shibusen was already filled with it's students, hard at work since before the sun rose. Most meisters were in the classrooms, learning various topics about souls. Some where complaining about how early they had to get up. However something more important was happening in the Death room, more or less the principal's office. The long winding hallway into the room seemed relatively normal, save for the arches every few feet. At the stop of these crimson beams hung guillotine blades. But what else would you expect from the Grim Reaper? The actual Death Room itself was it's own dimension, with a clear blue skyline with scattered pure white clouds. The floor of the room was mainly dirt, with black crosses rising throughout. A stone pathway led up to a circular platform, which held a single large mirror in the center. Currently the room was occupied.

"Yo yo yo," shouted a rather goofy voice. This voice belonged to a figure that stood in the center of the group of people. All the figure appeared to be was a rough black cloak rising from the floor. The cloak widened toward the middle, leading up to several wide shoulders. At the end of these shoulders the lanky arms revealed two large, cartoonish hands. The white gloves were almost like foam fingers. The head's only defining feature was a single white mask in the center. Ending in three prongs near where the mouth would be, the mask had three black holes, two for eyes and one for a nose. The cloak ended in a dropping point of black. This was Shinigami, death personified.

"I'd like to thank you all for coming! I know it's early, but your dedication is great. Now I have one question," Shinigami said as he cocked his head.

"Why did I call you?"

All color left the students as they fell to the floor. The man standing beside Shinigami slapped his forehead. Blood red hair hung over the man's forehead. His attire consisted of a black suit, the shirt open to show a dark grey shirt. A ebony tie in the shape of a cross hung over the shirt. All in all, the man looked rather annoyed.

"Shinigami-sama, you called these students to talk about the team. Remember?"

"Ah yes thank you. Death Scythe-sama is correct. I called you all here for a super-special team up! Now for role call!"

"First up, Yao Li and Maria Pinto." The first team Shinigami mentioned was a bit odd. Yao, the weapon, had long black hair due to his Chinese heritage. The seventeen-year-old was wearing a white shirt with a green V-neck jumper over it and black pants, which apparently was a staple for the students at the school. Around his neck hung a white scarf, even though it was unbelievably hot. Tall for his age, Yao towered over his meister for more than one reason. Maria Pinto was one of the youngest meisters at the school, being the age of ten. Curly black hair adorned his head, and dark circles hung under his heavy-lidded black eyes. Maria looked like an average little boy otherwise, and wore a big, wooly cream jumper and black pants. The partnership was a little unorthodox.

"Hey-o you two! Your team is rather odd I'd say. Why is a seventeen-year-old partnered with a little girl?"

Yao didn't like that statement.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WIERD? AND HOW DARE YOU CALL MY MEISTER A GIRL! HE'S A BOY NO MATTER HOW FEMININE HIS NAME SOUNDS AND WHY ARE WE HERE? WHO ARE YOU? WHO AM -"

"CHOP!"

Yao went to the floor, a fountain of blood coming out of his head. Maria covered his face in shame. Shinigami looked amused.

"Er, right then. Who's next?"

Shinigami turned towards the two teens next to Yao's unconsicous body. The female meister had her eyes closed, asleep in her wheelchair. An accident had caused her to be confinded to the chair. Long red hair hung in two plaits at her back, contrasting her pale skin. A few light freckles dotted her face her sleepy face. A white and red Victorian dress with tassles, ribbons and frills completed Melissa Redding's doll-like appearance. Her partner was gripping the handles of the wheelchair, a huge grin on his face. One bright green eye shone in the light, the other covered by the teen's short purple hair. A black overcoat with long sleeves was his attire of choice, with a grey scarf around his neck. Blake Carter would always stay behind his partner.

"Ahh, good to see you both. I see Melissa is still sleepy, hmm?"

Blake just laughed. "Yup Shinigami-sama, I sure got a lazy one. So is this assignment going to be fun?"

"I hope so!" Shingami leaned forward as he said this, shrugging his shoulders.

Turning again, Shinigami saw one person standing there. Cocking his head, the death god merely said, "Huh?"

If anyone had walked into this room, they would have thought Shinigami was having a concert. The rockstar-like person had long black hair, complete with some on the chin. His right eyebrow and ears were pierced, and his pale blue eyes glowed. Black once again defined his clothes, with a long black trenchcoat with silver designs on the shoulder and back. Cain Steele looked ready to rock.

"Cain, where's your partner?"

The rocker merely pointed, "Over there."

"Huh," said Shinigami as he turned.

"Oh Death Scythe, how'd you get to be so handsome?" Cain's partner was currently hanging of Death Scythe's chest, who had a goofy-look on his face. Skin-tight black leather hugged her every curve, as did her black corset. Her long dirty blond her hung down her shoulder, and her chocolate brown eyes looked almost cat-like. Ophielia seemed right at home.

"Oh ho, you know from hard work and determination, just becoming a death scythe. But the real question is where did your beauty come from?"

Shingami leaned in close as Ophielia laughed. "Don't you have a wife?"

"GAH." All color drained from Death scythe's face. His jaw was slack, hanging open in that grin. Ophielia felt his heart stop. As she looked up at him, he just screamed.

"NO! I LOVE MY WIFE!. I'M A GOOD HUSBAND. GOOD GOOD GOOD. LOVE LOVE LOVE!" Screaming at the top of his lungs, Death scythe ran around the whole room at supersonic speeds, waves of tears streaming down his face. After the twentieth rotation Shinigami chopped him on the head.

"Ow love ow good ow love. I'm so miserable." The death scythe himself curled up into a corner, a rain cloud over his head. The whole group just stared.

"Okay Then! Last but not least!"

The final team were still rookies at Shibusen, though they were the most normal-looking of the group. The meister's long blue-hair was tied into two pigtails that hung at her waist. Her attire consisted of a crimson red dress with a small black cardigan at her chest level. Marie Aoki looked at Shingami nervously with emerald green eyes. Her partner's brown hair was spiked up, his blue eyes staring nervously as well. Connor Suuvaki's outfit was pretty basic: a grey top with white sleeves underneath and dark jeans.

"Lighten up you two! We're all friends here! Just because your beginners doesn't mean your not valued!"

Turning to face all of them, Shinigami spread his arms forth. "Okay now for the moment you've all been waiting for! The reason I called you all here is that your soul counts are lacking and you're falling behind in teamwork. Therefore, in order to help you become better meisters and to test a new plan I have, you shall all become a team, working together! You'll report directly to me, and be sent on specific missions. Also you'll get to tour the world, see the sights! Doesn't that sound amazing?"

"No it sounds-" began Yao.

"Exactly! Thus you all shall be a team. Now is the birth of Shinigami's Super Special Secret Meister and Weapon Teamwork Squad!" As he said this, a banner with the name fell down behind him. The only reaction from the students was a looking of pure shock. One word was going through their heads.

_"What?"_

XXX

The sound of metal clashing against metal filled the room. Circular in shape, the only main feature of the room was a raised arena in the center. This whole room was for the meisters and weapons to train for battle and to test their skills. It was a rare occasion to practice, so all the students were eager to fight their friends.

"Vir, Zoe, you're up," shouted the teacher in charge of the class. The man in charge was Sid, a former three-star meister. He was formerly a three-star before he died. Now he was revived as a zombie. His skin was a light purplish-blue and his mouthful of teeth was always open. His white eyes lacked pupils, adding to his deceased look. Beneath his frightful appearance, Sid was actually quite a kind man.

"Sweet, I've been itching for a fight ever since that contest," shouted Vir as he leapt into the ring. Zoe just shook her head and lept after her partner. The ring was split in two so two pairs could fight at once. As Vir got to the center, he grinned at who he saw.

"Great I have to fight the boy wonder, what a day," laughed Andreas, running a hand through his spiky hair. Carressa stood next to Andreas, her arm already half-scythe. Zoe strode up next to Vir, noticing who was fighting in the other half of the ring.

Erin dodged a blow from Jake, ducking under the swipe of his sword, a chokuto. Seeing an opportunity, Erin swipped at Jake's feet, only to meet the other chokuto in middle strike. Cartwheeling backwards, Erin raised Zack in his weapon form, a claw like that of a dragon. Jake got into a defensive stance, the chains of the sisters' weapons wrapped around his arms.

"Great day for a fight, huh Erin?"

The voice of Zack snapped from the blade, "Get serious! This is a battle!"

Jake rolled his eyes, "Lighten up, will you!"

As they charged each other, Zoe turned back to Andreas. The black-haired teen now held a black scythe, grinning at Zoe and Vir. As Zoe turned to Vir, her partner grinned and transformed. Grabbing the saber form of Vir, Zoe twirled him before get into a stance.

"Dramatic today, huh Zoe," laughed Andreas.

"I figured I'd give them a show!"

Andreas grinned, "Well let's not dissappoint!"

Charging at Zoe, his first swipe at her feet was dodged by a quick jump into the air. Bringing the saber down, Zoe missed Andreas by a hair's breadth when the teen sidestepped. Andreas held Carressa upright, swiging around her like a pole. His feet connected with Zoe's chest, sending her sprawling to the corner. Andreas walked forward about to bring the scythe down. As it struck, Zoe rolled to the side and kicked his legs out from under him. Yelping, Andreas crashed hard to the ground. The meister barely had to time to block a strike from Zoe, holding up the scythe and catching the blade on the handle. Zoe dodged backwards, expecting a counter-attack.

Andreas lept on to his feet, spinning his partner in his hands. Both meisters got into defensive positions as the rest of the students began to cheer. Small smirks appearred on the meisters' faces, daring the other to attack. Andreas moved first, beginning a flurry of sweeps at Zoe and Vir. The both of them barely dodged in time, though that left them little time to counterattack.

On the other side, Jake was sliced across the chest, leaving three verticals lines on his training shirt. All weapons were dulled in the room so that all damage was superficial. Erin's slice was met with a boot to the face, Jake seeing his opportunity to strike. Dust rose in the air as Erin dragged her hands on the ground, slowing his movement. The weapon snarled when he saw Delaine leaving the ring.

"What is this? Getting cocky, you think you can beat me with one weapon?"

Jake grinned as he raised Lucia's weapon form to his face, crouching as he did it. "Nothing like that. I'm just switching it up a little!"

"We'll see how that works for you!" With that, the female meister lunged at Zack, her clawed right hand held out in front of her. When he wass only a few feet away from Jake, Erin raised her claw to pin the teen. A swift snap from a chain tripped the army drop-out up, catching his feet and sending him to the ground. Jake waisted no time, lunging at his downed opponent and stabbing the ground. Erin rolled on the floor, trying to dodge the blows from the chokuto. Eyeing the chain hanging off Jake's arm, a plan formed in Erin's head. As Jake made another stab, his chain hung loose to the ground. Erin's hand groped for it, her fingers catching in the links. The look of shock on Jake's face as he was swung to the ground was priceless to Erin.

Andreas' blows were getting closer to Zoe, who was losing speed. Several small nicks dotted her clothes, Andreas getting closer with every swing. Seeing the next blow, the female meister dropped to the ground, the blow passing harmlessly over head. Andreas looked down just in time to see Vir cut his legs, dropping him. As Andreas sprawled backwards, Zoe lept to her feet with Vir over head. Zoe brought Vir down to Andreas' chest, ready to stab it. Andreas closed his eyes as...nothing happened.

Peeking open his eyes, the fallen teen saw Vir de-transformed, looking out of the ring. Zoe looked completely shocked before she began to yell at Vir. Grinning, Andreas picked up Carressa and charged the team. Vir raised his hand, forcing Andreas to drag his heels to stop himself. The teen crashed right into Vir's hand, looking puzzled.

"Uh, Vir, what are you doing?"

Cocking his head at the door, Vir grinned madly, "Look who showed up."

Andreas broke into a grin when he saw what, or rather who, Vir was looking at. Sword and axe in hand, Richter stood in the doorway, surveying the groups. Vir and Andreas had been pretty sore about losing, and were eager for a chance to fight the meister who beat them out. Vir cracked his knuckles in anticipation, grinning like a demon. His former opponent stood up and cracked his neck, his grin equally as big. The rest of the room, including Zack and Jake, had caught site of Richter, and were now gawking at the meister. Jake hopped the ring barrier, himself grinning like his friends.

"Richter. Two-star axe and sword meister with dual partners. Top of his class,he is one of the youngest ever to reach two-star. Able to control his soul wavelength and use it as a weapon. He's the whole package boys. Imagine the glory if one of us beat him," Jake said, grabbing Delaine who had morphed to weapon form.

Zack transformed back to his human form and sighed, "What are they going to do _now_?"

Erin laughed at her weapon's reaction. "Oh well, boys will be boys I guess."

Knowing what the group was planning, Zoe quickly strode over to her partner. "Don't even think about! Come on, let's go."

Vir shrugged her off, the grin still on his face. The light sound of his footsteps echoed as he walked to the corner of the ring. Grabbing his his hand, the teen hopped the barrier and landed on his feet, continuing to his target. Andreas and Jake followed suit, following their friend with the same look on their faces. Carressa, arms crossed and anger on her face, walked over to Zoe.

"What are those idiots going to do? This won't end well."

Zoe sighed in disappointment. "How is Vir even going to fight? I'm staying over here."

The red-haired meister was currently having a talk with Sid, trying to ignore the meisters coming towards him. The group of three stopped a few feet away, still grinning. Richter turned from his conversation, intent on leaving the room. As he walked past the gang, Vir spoke up.

"Bet you think you're hot stuff, huh? You made pretty short work of that Kishin. Problem is that was my kill. And you see, me and the guys here are always looking to prove ourselves, so beating you should accomplish that. You up for it?"

Keeping his eyes forward, Richter gave a non-chalant response. "Don't kid yourself, pointless fighting is a waste of time. Not to mention your meisters seem pretty resigned to say out of this. So why don't you turn around and keep training."

Jake inched forward, his partners glinting in the light. "We are training, we just want a good sparring partner. What do ya say?"

With that Richter turned, staring at the teen with a bored expression on his features. "If you insist, just don't complain when it's over."

Seeing that they would have their opponent, the group hopped back into the ring, where they began to strech in preparation. Grabbing the rail, Richter lept into the arena, eager to get this over with. The axe and sword in his hands seemed to glow with fire, eager for a fight. Chains wrapped tight around Jake's wrists as he moved forward. Zoe and Carressa sighed heavily as they reluctantly joined their partners. The room fell silent as the meisters pointed their weapons at each other.

The silence was abruptly shattered when Jake charged Richter. Seeing Richter prepare to counter, a grin broke out on Jake's face. A wave of black energy formed as Jake slashed his weapon in the air, sending the blast hurtling towards Richter. A quick sidestep saved Richter, the blast moving past him and exploding on the wall. The senior meister sidestepped again as another wave reared past him.

Using his momentum, Jake swung his chain at Richter's feet, trying to offset his balance. Richter snorted as he deftly dodged the chain. His opponent raised his two swords, prepared to impale the red-haired teen. As his left-arm sailed towards Richter's chest, it was stopped dead in it's tracks by a grab from Richter. The grin became shock as Richter lifted him up and delivered a swift punch to the chest. An impulse of soul energy sent in the punch smashed Jake skyward, slamming him into the ceiling.

While he was still falling, two slashes were blocked by Richter's weapons. Zoe and Andreas clenched their teeth as their opponent forced them back. Andreas grabbed his scythe's chain and smashed it in Richter's direction. The chain sailed harmlessly overhead as Richter ducked. Andreas had no time to relax as Richter's left foot collided with his chest.

"Enduring Autumn," came the shout as earth shot of the leg in the form of soul wavelength, sending Andreas flying backwards. As Richter turned, his axe was batted out of his hand by a strike from Vir. Sword met sword as Richter and Zoe began to duel with their blades. It was obvious that Richter was the better swordsman, as Zoe was constantly on the defensive from attacks. Seeking to end the fight, Richter swung with his left, trying to cuff Zoe in the jaw. Anticipating this, Zoe ducked and shifted Vir to his demon blade form. Richter's eyes showed shock as the demon blade slashed his chest, sending him sprawling to his knees. Zoe lunged again, only to be blocked by an axe. The sword swipped Zoe's feet, sending her to the floor.

Knocking Vir away, Richter pointed his blade at the downed teens' throat. As he was about to declare victory, two waves of energy smahed into Richter, once again sending him sprawling backwards. As he gained his footing, the red-haired teen recieved a slash on his chest from a black scythe blade. Jake held his swords across his chest and lunged, as Andreas charged from behind. As both blades were about to hit, they were both stopped dead by two females with blade arms.

The sword that blocked Jake's twin weapons took the form of a teenage girl with flowing violet hair. Her sapphire eyes gleamed at Jake, a playful look in them. Her attire consisted of mostly red, with a long red coat over a red shirt. Jake began to drool as he stared at the weapon's chest, both of HIS weapons getting angered. He was snapped back to reality by a slash across his chest.

The scythe had been stopped in it's decent by an axe blade, which was the attached to the arm of a little girl. Bright pink hair was pulled into two spikey pig tails, contrasting her grey eyes. Unlike her sister, the girl's attire lacked color, being mostly black and grey. A large belt hung at her waist and huge grey gloves covered her hands. Andreas looked shock as the girl picked him up and tossed him away.

As his weapons battled the other teams, Richter rose to his feet in time to dodge a strike from Vir, who's right arm had become a blade. A flurry of quick strikes kept Richter dodging, but only just. His right hand burst into flames as he threw a flaming punch at the sword weapon. A leap into the air was capped off by Vir's transformation, as he landed in Zoe's hand. The girl waisted no time in slashing at Richter, only to have it caught in his flaming hand. Richter's left hand was encased in ice as he began to assault the team. Punch after punch was blocked or dodged, though with every block Vir took damage. A final slash by Zoe was caught on Richter's right foot, where blades of wind were swirling. Both of Richter's fists collided with Zoe's chest, sending a blast of soul wavelength into her. Richter's "Eternal Equinox" attack was enough to blast Zoe away and end the fight.

The whole group lay in the center of the room, battered and bruised. Erin and Zack were shaking their heads at the boys, who were the most battered because they kept fighting. The older of Richter's partners was giggling at her downed opponents while the younger of the two just watched. Richter smirked as he walked out of the ring and the room, having proved his strength.

Erin and Zack moved over and helped their friends up, Erin with the girls, Zack with the boys. The guys began a cursing match over who's fault it was and why Zack didn't help. The girl's just sweatdropped as their partners began to curse Richter's birth, and how they would have won if certain things didn't happen. The argument was cut off by an announcement over the PA.

"Would all the teams who are currently standing in the ring please report to the Death Room."

XXX

Moments later the gang stood in front of the simple wooden door that led to the Death Room. The guys now wore several bandages over their various bruises, forcebly put there by the partners. The members of the group were all thinking the same thing. It was Vir who finally voiced what they were thinking.

"What the heck do you think they want with us?"

Andreas began to sweat and look around himself rapidly, his face showing his nervousness. When he realized the gang was staring at him, the teen merely shouted, "How was I suppossed to know it'd explode?"

Everyone else just stared, giving Andreas a look of confusement. Before anyone could ask what he was talking about, Carressa walked over and whispered in his ear. The look of blame slowly faded from his face and was replaced with his trademark grin.

"Ohh, I guess I over reacted, forget I said that. So now let's go!" Andreas shouted this as he tore through the doors, a trail of dust forming behind him. His shouts could be heard echoing down the hall, growing fainter as he ran farther down the hall. The look of shock had not left from the group's face, and stayed there even as Carressa followed her partner, sighing in disappointment. One by one, the whole group followed their friends, still wondering what had just happened.

A few minutes later, the group stood on the altar in the center of the room, save for Andreas. The teen had tired himself out in excitement, as even when he got through the doors he still ran, doing laps around the room. Vir faceplamed at his friend's antics as the rest of the gang laughed. Everyone fell silent when Shinigami clapped his hands.

"Hello all! I'm glad to see your excitement, although some of you took it a little to far. I watched your match with Richter, and I must say you did admirably. However, I noticed your teamwork was lacking. Now all of you have been here for several years, and are seniors in your classes. So do you know what I decided?"

Each member of the group had their own ideas of what the Death god had planned, ranging from sane to completely ridiculous. Shinigami leaned forward at the group, getting right into Andreas' face, who began to sweat profusely. Minutes passed by in silence as everyone just stared. Andreas finally thought he was off the hook, and let out a good sigh.

"YOU WILL ALL BE A TEAAAAAAAAMMMMMMM!" The shout from the Death god startled Andreas, who promptly fell backwards and smashed his head on the stairs, causing him to bleed. The rest of the group just sweat-dropped, including Shinigami. As Carressa tried waking up Andreas, Shingami began again.

"Basically you shall all fight together on missions, to see how you perform. I will be watching you closely. Good luck!"

With that, Shinigami raised his cloak, disappearing into the mirror in a black smoke. The whole group just stared, as they voiced a familar response.

"What?"

XXX

**So the plot begins, how will our heroes fair? I hope I portrayed your characters well, and any critiscms or advice is appreaciated. Until next time.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I'm back again, in what might be my quickest update. Thanks to those who reviewed, I hope you enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter 3- The New Teams Struggle! Battle in the Big City?

The cold wind sent shivers down the teenagers' spines. Though it was still summer time, most of the group wore heavy coats to combat the freezing wind. The moon shone pale light over the city night, illuminating parts of the metropolis. Shinigami's Special Squad was currently on their first mission, a Kishin hunt given to them directly by Shinigami. The death god had given them specific instructions to operate at night, as his hiding of their activities from mortal eyes could only do so much. So far though, the only thing the group had done was freeze as they stood on the top of a sky-scraper.

"IT IS SO DAMN COLD!" Everyone turned to Yao, who was shouting to the sky and waving his hand. The rest of the group stared at Maria, who paled quickly and ducked his head. Yao continued to shout obscenities at the sky while the rest of the group went back to surveillance for the Kishin, save for Cain, who was currently stroking Opheila's weapon form in an attempt to relax. The other Maria turned around to look at Cain.

"Should you be helping? Shinigami-sama could be watching."

Cain looked up and grinned, "I'm a support fighter, so I'm just doing my supporting job. You wouldn't want to mess up my job, would you?"

A small blush formed on Maria's face as she believed she had said something wrong. "No, No, you're good. Sorry."

Cain laughed and went back to playing the guitar. They had been together for only a week, and yet problems were already starting to show. The teams failed at working well together in training, as their personalities and individual quirks made cooperation difficult. Most of the group was nervous about their first mission for one reason or another, compounding the problem.

Maria strode over to her partner, who was quietly looking over the edge at the passing pedestrians below. The bored expression on his face told his partner that he was tired of looking for the Kishin. As she sat down next to Connor, the blue haired meister observed the rest of the "squad". Melissa, now wide awake, was looking through Blake's weapon form, a devilish grin on her face. Said weapon form was a PTRD-41 anti-tank sniper rifle, not the kind of weapon you'd expect someone of her appearance to be wielding. Male Maria had tried to calm Yao down, to little avail. The Chinese teen was still shouting and cursing at the top of his lungs, now at his partner as well. Beside her Connor snorted.

"I'm getting bored of this, where is this stupid demon," Connor growled in a low voice. Maria started to get antsy when he said that.

"I know! This is our first real mission together. AND we get to do it with our friends!"

The doll-like teen across from Maria started to giggle loudly, sounding almost child-like. The rest of the group stared at her as she turned and smiled.

"Our play-mate's here!"

XXX

"I'm telling you its right!"

"And I say it's left!"

Loud voices broke the calm silence of the ancient forest. The smell of pine trees filled the air no matter where you stood. A small stream could be heard bubbling softly in the background, adding to the serenity of the land. Birds and other animals chirped and squeaked as they went about their daily tasks. The whole thing out of place was the group of teenagers in the clearing of the wood.

"Andreas, it's freaking right! I've got a feeling," shouted Jake, his partners shaking their heads behind him.

"Look sword-boy, it's so obviously left, you have no idea what's going on," countered Andreas, Carressa sweat-dropping behind him.

Erin looked upset at the fight. "Hey, you guys shouldn't be fighting! You're friends, and this is all about team-work!"

Vir laughed at her comment. "Those two have no idea what's going on! I hope they do this all day.

A sharp glare was shot at him by Zack. "Don't joke about that! Your team-mates are important, and shouldn't be fighting!"

Vir shot a look back at him. "Don't lecture me, old man!"

"Old man?"

As the two men grabbed each other and started wrestling, their partners shot sideways glances at each other. This whole trip had been a disaster for the girls. From the plane ride here to the journey to the woods, the guys in the group could not stop arguing. Zoe was surprised that they still had voices after all the shouting they had done. Every turn or twist in the path had yielded an argument from at least two of the members of the group. As they wandered the woods, the arguments got progressively more frequent as the gang got more and more lost.

"_At this rate we'll never find this meister..."_ thought Zoe, remembering Shinigami's words.

"_For your first mission as a team, I need you to find a former pupil of this school. He has been wandering the Earth, so we've had trouble tracking him. He was the best of his class, a natural genius. I would like his help teaching the students, though his methods might be a bit unorthodox. Be warned though. If you find him, it is very likely he will test you."_

_"Test? What could he have meant?"_ Zoe bit her lower lip, trying to decipher Shinigami's words as she strode over to break apart the argument her partner was in.

XXX

A wave of dust blasted out of the nearby alley, booming sounds heard from within. Inside the dust cloud, the rookie squad was fighting for their life. Standing in the center of the battled damaged alley stood the group's target, soaking in blood. With pale skin, dark hair, crimson eyes, and sharp, dripping fangs, their opponent could only be described as a vampire. Crimson liquid dripped down the beast's fine clothes, the remains of his last victim. The area around the beast was torn up, stones jutting out from the damaged walls. As the kishin snapped his neck, Maria stepped out of the dust cloud, Yao's weapon form in hand.

"HEY YOU. VAMPIRE GUY! YOU'RE SOULS OURS NOW! CHAAAAHH!" The black jian that was in Maria's hand snapped at the Kishin, moving wildly.

The sword surged forward, dragging Maria with it as dust shot up at his heels. The Kishin cackled and lunged at the two, sharp claws snapping out of his hands. A stab from Yao was caught in one hand, allowing the Kishin to swing Maria and partner into a wall. The child's eyes rolled as he tried to shack off the dizziness caused by the impact. His opponent, however, had other plans. The kishin lunged at the boy, ready to rip him apart. When he was an inch from Maria, arrows pierced the Kishin's side, sending him backwards.

The other Maria stood poised at the end of the alley, weapon in hand. Said weapon was a sleek black crossbow, which already held another arrow in the notch. Standing next to her was Cain, who held his guitar tightly. Gold designs lined the black guitar, and a dragon's head jutted out, completing the design.

"Hey, I got him," Maria shouted gleefully, pumping her fist into the air.

A roar from the alley soon proved her wrong as the Kishin howled at his opponents. Breaking the arrows in its side, the demon sprinted at break-necks speeds at the meisters, causing Maria to begin to panic.

"Ah, what do I do, what do I do?"

Cain smirked as his opponent approached, stroking a single chord. The sound of heavy metal filled the air as the guitar sprang to life in Cain's hand. A fiery explosion propelled the demon into the air, blasting the ground from beneath him. Yao's eyes snapped open and he leapt deftly into the air, wind currents raising him higher and higher. A fist of his connected with the enemy's face, blasting it even higher. A snarl escaped from the beast as it recoiled, snarling at his opponents. The snarl became a yelp as two bullets tore through the pale skin, raining blood down the alley. Melissa reloaded her sniper rifle as she giggled, before firing another bullet into the Kishin. The bullet shot the demon through the air, smashing him into the roof of a nearby building.

"Yeah girl, you go," laughed Cain as he saw the dust rise from the building.

Bullets suddenly shot from the roof, making Cain yelp and dive. The three meisters on the ground mad dashed for cover as Melissa unloaded on them. Cain leapt into a dumpster, Maria dove through a window, and other Maria shot under a bench, his small body allowing him to hide. Yao, still flying, snapped.

"YOU CRAZY BITCH! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! BULLETS HURT IDIOT! WE'RE A TEAM! TEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMM! GWAHH!"

Yao foamed at the mouth as a bullet clipped his shoulder, causing him to spiral downward. As Cain gripped the dumpster's rim and groaned, he was suddenly crushed by the flailing Yao, the force snapping the dumpster's lid shut. The bullets suddenly stopped as Blake cut off the stream.

"Um, Redding-chan, I think that's enough."

Melissa giggled and waved down at the alley. "Wasn't that fun? You all survived!"

Connor groaned and crawled out of the building, flipping Melissa off. Maria crawled out from under the bench, shivering in a combination of fear and cold. The lid of the dumpster slowly rose as Cain came out cursing, ripping a banana peel off his face. The opening of the lid caused Yao to fall off the top of the dumpster, smashing his face on the concrete. The group groaned as a collective, preparing to vent their angry feelings at their team mate. They never got the chance though.

Melissa was looking down at her, so she didn't notice the demon getting up from the ground. Leathery black wings burst from the vampire's back as the beast roared, causing all the students to cover their ears. Those on the ground quickly changed into their weapon forms, save for Yao, who grabbed Maria. A strong gust of wind shot Yao on the roof as the other teams scaled the walls around them. As they all touched down next to Melissa, the group began to shout at the girl for shooting at them. As they all shouted at each other, Melissa turned Blake on them, as Yao tackled Connor for no apparent reason. As they all began to grab and punch each other, they never noticed what the vampire had done.

A beam of intense crimson light smashed into the building, sending the deafening sound of an explosion throughout the city. Smoke billowed from the damaged hole, wafting into the night air. Stones rained into the alley below, smashing on the pavement. The vampire laughed at the destruction it had caused, not taking notice of the gust of wind that hit him. A diagonal slash appeared on his body, blood spewing from it. A final scream was heard as the beast imploded, leaving a single crimson soul floating in the air.

Shinigami sweat-dropped as he saw the passed out teens, lying on the roof of the damaged building.

"That went well."

XXX

"Well, it took us long enough, but we're finally here," remarked Zoe as she stared at their destination.

The group stood in a clearing of the forest, thick fog encroaching on the area. Various gravestones dotted the yard, each of different styles and sizes. The house in front of them would have looked mostly normal, save for one small detail. Stitches covered the length of the building, giving it the patchwork appearance of a rag doll. Overall the atmosphere could only be described as threatening and dark.

"The home of Dr. Stein."

XXX

All the heat had long ago left Richter's body, or so it seemed. The meisters face was covered against the chilling icy wind of the mountains he was roaming on a mission from Shinigami. The fierce wind was blowing the snow of the mountain around wildly, so much so that you couldn't see anything in front of you. The only sounds heard were the crunch of snow beneath Richter's boots and the chilling melody of the blowing wind. As he clutched his heavy jacket for warmth, he noticed a small ridge coming into focus slowly. As he stepped, he felt a sudden chill, not from heat loss, but from a feeling of dread.

As he reached the ridge, Richter hunkered down in the snow, his hands gripping his weapons tightly. He slowly inched forward, crawling through the thick snow. As he got to the top of the ridge, he peaked his head over the edge. When he did, his eyes widened in shock.

"This is..."

XXX

**Cliffhanger ending. Hopefully you won't wait long for the rest. Thanks for reading and please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater.**

Chapter 4: Constant Battles! The Madness of Dr. Stein

The sounds of the woods echoed through the night air, adding to the dark atmosphere around the house of the renowned doctor. Shinigami had been very clear in his orders: find Dr. Stein and retrieve him so that he would work at the school. It seemed like such an easy task for the qualified group. Now, however, as they stood on Dr. Stein's doorstep, dread filled each member of the group. No one knew how to make the first move.

"What should we do," questioned Zoe, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her friends shot glances at each other, unsure of how to respond to the question.

"Oh C'mon you guys, how bad can it be? I say we just go ahead," said Andreas as he pointed at the ragdoll house where the scientist resided.

"By all means, after you Andreas," replied Jake gesturing with his hand at the building they all feared. A sweat drop formed on Andreas' head as the color drained from his face. A slow creaking sound emanating from the house brought chills down their spines as they turned toward the forlorn building.

The front door was slowly opening, revealing nothing but darkness. Both meisters and weapons' hearts stopped as the door stood completely ajar, an abysmal darkness showing itself fully to the group. Even the forest seemed to go silent at the door's opening. Two bright blue orbs suddenly flickered into existence in the darkness, hanging like souls in the air. The sound of wheels on concrete slowly began to deepen as the orbs moved closer towards the group. The only audible sound was that of the rolling wheels, bringing the orbs out of the nothingness. All courage had left the group, their bodies telling them to flee from the dreaded place.

The sound of rolling abruptly stopped, replaced in an instant by a soft bump. The demon that was coming for them stumbled out of the darkness, a human form rolling out in front of them. A rolling chair clattered to the ground as its user stumbled forward. A single groan escaped from the voice of the crumpled form on the ground. As the group's fears turned to sweat drops on the back of their heads, they stared directly at the man they had come to find. The light grey hair lay covered in dirt from the fall, the thin form, and the white lab-coat he wore all seemed pretty normal, and if not for the rest of the body, he would have looked normal. The rest of the infamous Dr. Stein, however, would never be described as normal.

The rest of Dr. Stein's attire was stitched together from mixed stitch, all of them various shades of grey. The stitches were not just on his clothes, but on his whole body. The most prominent of the stitches sliced around his eye, making Stein look like he was pieced together like a ragdoll. Pale skin and large glasses gave him the perfect appearance of the scientist he was. Most shockingly of all was what protruded from Stein's head: a giant metal bolt jutted out from the left side of his head?

The sound of twisting metal rang out in the air as Stein twisted the bolt in his head. The group of students wasn't sure what to make of this, as they were still taken aback by his less than stellar entrance. As the twisting stopped, a demonic smile formed on Stein's face.

"Now then, let's start the experiment."

XXX

Sweat covered every inch of the groups' faces as the hot desert sun beat down upon them. Vast dunes of sand stretched forever in every direction, mounds of golden, grainy sand the only thing the eye could see, save for a few scattered cacti. Rays of heat and light beat down unopposed from the open blue sky, baking any creature unlucky enough to be caught in the rays. Shinigami's favorite rookies happened to fall into this category.

Every member of the group was slumped over themselves as they dragged their feet through the sand. Melissa's wheel-chair would not work in the desert sand, so Blake had the extra burden of carrying his partner. Shinigami had been overjoyed that they didn't die, which caused the group to have a certain amount of shock. Before Yao and Cain got too excited, Death Scythe had picked up on the conversation and berated them for their failures. They had been immediately dropped off in the desert (literally, as Shinigami had opened a portal, picked them up one by one, and just tossed them through the portal) and told to try again. Naturally, the group was certainly annoyed.

"WHAT THE HELL? Who drops tired kids off in the middle of a desert? There probably isn't even a Kishin here," shouted Yao as he kicked the sand in rage.

Immediately after he was done shouting, the sand below Yao exploded as a giant arm smashs the Chinese teen into the air. The whole group ducked and covered their eyes as a massive sandstorm started up, blasting waves of sand into their eyes. Arms of a cactus rose out of the sand, prickles the length of knives jutting out from their hand. The kishin's chest was made of the same grainy material as the rest of the layout. Black flesh rose from the back of the demon as a black scorpion tail appeared, ending in a giant spear of a tip. Its face was wrapped in bandages, the only thing seen were two blood red eyes. Sand flowed into the creature through the legs of the beast, which were almost non-existent.

Yao's head, sticking out of the sand, roared when he saw what attacked him. "Oh come on! Why the hell would somebody be a cactus monster when they became an evil soul?"

"Why are you so loud," moaned Maria, who struggled to get out of the sand pit he had landed in. The little child's body was coated in sand from the landing, and seemed to be moaning in pain from the sand gritting against him.

"AH QUIT COMPLAINING! WE GOT WIN THIS FIGHT SO LET'S GO," Yao bellowed as he pumped his fist into the air, moments before the black jian appeared. Maria crawled his way out of the sand and shaked his body, trying to shake the sand off. Unfortunately, he wasn't destined to have a good day.

BONK! Yao had miscalculated how far he had thrown himself, and the blunt side of his sword form landed perfectly...on Maria's head. Both meister and weapon fell to the ground, sand going into the child's mouth. Luckily for the rest of the group, Yao was buried in the sand fairly deep, preventing him from speaking. Transformation was out of the question as the waves of sand from the sandstorm buried Yao completely, preventing any form of transformation. Unfortunately for the group, they had just lost their only melee fighter.

Melissa, Ophelia, and Blake transformed quickly and landed in the partners' hands, moments before the arm of the creature smashed into the ground where they stood. Both Maria and Cain landed perfectly on sand dunes nearby, while Melissa, who obviously could not jump had to roll to the side of the arm. Cain grimaced as he landed.

_"How are we going to pull through? We only won last time because of those two?"_

_"Flashback"_

_"Now listen all of you. You all nearly died against such a weak kishin! Do you even know how you won," growled Death Scythe as he tapped his foot against the cold stone._

_"Hoo-hoo, luckily I recorded every moment," shouted Shinigami, striking a pose. The mirror behind Shinigami flashed to life suddenly, and the whole group focused on the screen._

_The group was standing on the roof of the building, moments before the blast that took them out struck. Every member of the group grimaced as the beam struck them and knocked them to the ground. As the smoke began to clear, the screen slowed to a snail's pace suddenly and the video zoomed right onto Maria. The child was mid-fall when he subconsciously made a slash with Yao. Everyone noticed that the monster was cut in half in the same style Maria had sliced._

_"End Flashback"_

_"We only won because of Yao's hidden power. When he sliced, blades of wind sliced the kishin in the same style. Now we don't have them! How can we win?"_

Melissa had a massive grin on her face, a look of pure joy an elation. "WHEE! New things to shoot at!" Moments later, a single round escaped from the barrel of Blake's weapon form, the whistling sound echoing in the air. Unfortunately, the bullet hit nothing but air. The sound of rushing sand filled the air as the Kishin sunk into the desert, the only visible body parts being the head and the cactus arms.

"Hehe, stupid fools! In this desert I'm invincible!"

Prickles turned to razors as the kishin shot like a rocket into the air, the sand of the desert flowing into his lower body. One of the cactus appendages blasted downward at Melissa, the barbs becoming like knives as they descended towards the helpless teen. Maria stood poised behind the demon, Connor's crossbow form in hand. Several bolts hurtled towards the arm of her opponent seconds later, her quick fingers allowing her to fire repeatedly. The tips of the bolts wedged themselves into the arm as it fell, having little effect on the hard skin. Maria attempted to reload, her fingers stumbling as she grew frantic. The scorpion tail of the kishin struck her in her haste, the appendage smacking into her unprotected chest. This secondary distraction did nothing to stop the arm, Melissa unable to fire her partner in time. A definitive smash was heard, the blow obviously connecting.

What the blow connected with was not Melissa, but a translucent dome barrier erected around Melissa. In the confusion, no one had heard Cain play a solo on Opheila's weapon form. Now though, he could clearly be heard playing, his fingers effortlessly plucking the strings in his hands. A feeling of warmth flooded into both Melissa and Blake, who smirked in his weapon form. A shockwave from the barrier repulsed the cactus arm, giving Melissa a clear line of fire.

_"I've never been much of a fighter, but luckily for me I found the perfect weapon. As I play Opheila's guitar form, the music produced is a form of soul wavelength. Stupid demon never thought I could make barriers and send him launching back! But the best effect of my music.."_

"JOKER!" Multiple bullets blasted from the barrel of Melissa's weapon, hurtling towards the demon's chest. Unable to defend against the shot, the demon watched as the bullets blasted through his chest, boring a massive crater in the sand torso.

"..Is increasing the resonance rate of others! How's that for team-work," shouted Cain as he pumped his fist in the air.

Recovering from the blow to her chest, Maria got back on her feet just in time to see Melissa shoot the demon through the chest. She was woken from her thoughts by the voice of Connor rose from his weapon form.

"Maria, are you okay? That blow was pretty vicious," Connor said the concern for his partner clear in his voice.

Brushing a streak of her azure hair out of her eyes, Maria replied, "I'm fine, but we need to get back in there! Look!"

As she pointed, the chest of the kishin refilled itself, sand covering the wound completely. A swing from his right hand was dodged by Melissa, who was able to roll to the left in the nick of time. Cain began strumming on Opheila again, the sound sof heavy metal flowing from his guitar. The sand near the kishin exploded without reason, the shockwave of which was able to knock the kishin backwards. Melissa took the distraction as a chance to unload, releasing two more bullets at the kishin. The bullets sailed not at his chest, but rather the cactus arms the kept swinging at her. Metal easily pierced and shredded the plant arms of the creature, leaving two bleeding gashes in the right arm.

"GWAH! Die little human," roared the Kishin as he lashed out with his tail, the tip aimed right at Melissa's chest. A brilliant light shone from behind the kishin, moments before the tip of the stinger exploded into broken flesh and green blood.

"FLAME SHOT!"

Cain looked up and grinned when he saw Maria standing on the hill behind the demon, a flaming arrow notched into Connor. The bolt flew through the air as the girl pulled her trigger, the flaming end heading towards its target. Metal wedged into cactus, the flaming end spreading to the area around the wound.

"Maria, Melissa, aim for the arms, it'll heal another other wound! I'll keep him occupied," shouting Cain, who began to charge at his opponent, intent burning in his eyes.

Getting a running start, Maria leapt into the air and released several bolts. The bolts that were aflame spread their fire to the arms, burning deep holes in the flesh. An attempt at sinking into the ground by the demon was abruptly cut short, an explosion blasting the sand that he sank into. Cain was stilling playing as he charged, allowing his teammates to continue to resonate. Melissa stopped rolling from the demon's right fist and unloaded several shots at the demon. From his eyes, their opponent sent beams through several of the bullets, trying to cause them to explode. He was sorely disappointed as the bullets continued through his hand. When he looked though, there was only one hole in the cactus flesh.

"Hehe, idiot doesn't realize that our Joker attack creates illusions of bullets to distract our opponents," laughed Blake from the sniper rifle.

"Yep! This is a lot of fun! Whee, die," shouted Melissa as she let another shell fly.

Bolts and bullets continued to rain through the sky to the tune of the guitar music emanating from Ophelia. The burning bolts and penetrating bullets had ripped holes in the cactus arms, which were almost hanging limp at the kishin's side.

_"Alright Cain, let's bring this together with our solo,"_ shouted Ophelia into Cain's head.

"RIGHT, time for my explosive finish!"

Cain's fingers began to move at a rapid pace, the music becoming louder and more frantic. The two other meisters stopped their attacks as the arms of the demon began to simmer. As the solo continued, small flames began to appear on the arms. The only form of attack left for the Kishin was sending blasts of sand at the meisters, taking out both the immovable Melissa and Maria. The attacks did nothing to stop what was coming.

The music began to rise as the arms grew hotter and hotter. The crescendo of the rock came as Cain finished his solo with a flourish, bringing his fingers across the strings on last times. The holes in the arms spewed fire as the arms exploded in a ball of flame, raining needles around the landscape. The demon fell back after the explosion, collapsing in the sand. Maria shook herself off and ran over to Cain, who stood near Melissa.

"What'd you think of my hidden technique?"

Maria smiled warmly at Caine. "That was a great plan, you did a great job."

"Yea it was a good job, but how are we gonna get him? When I try and make him go boom, he uses sand to block it! It's not fair," yelled Melissa as she shook her fists angrily.

Sand flowed into the empty space where the demon's arms were, forming concrete hands of sand. Pushing him from the ground, the demon's face showed pure rage at what had happened.

"THAT HURT! YOU BRATS WILL DIE NOW!"

Raising one of the sand fists into the air, the demon stood poised to attack. Cain scooped Melissa into his arms as the fist came down. All three meisters jumped backwards onto a dune, the fist hitting nothing but sand.

"Damn, if you we could get rid of the sand, Melissa could get him," growled Cain.

_"Well what do you suggest genius?"_

"I don't need the sarcasm Opheila."

All three meisters' heads shot up as a strong gust of wind began to blow directly at the demon. A split second later, a blade of wind sailed through the air, aimed right at the demon. The sound of whirling wind filled the air as it passed the meisters, the blade expanding as it passed through the air. Red eyes bulged as the gust of wind hit the demon dead on in the torso, blasting all sand backwards. A flimsy skeleton was revealed underneath; the neck connecting to the now comically oversized head. The eyes bulged for the last time as a bullet pierced the skull, ending the demon's afterlife. The body disappeared, revealing a floating egg soul, pulsing crimson and covered in scales.

"We did it," shouted Maria, who began clapping in joy. Cain turned around and smiled when he saw a downed Yao, hands stretching to the sky as he lay on his back. The weapon had dug himself out just in time to send a gust of wind at the demon, though the effort caused him to promptly collapse.

Maria smiled at her new teammates. "Who should get the soul? I mean we all did pretty good."

"I vote guitar boy! He came up with the plan, and I got to make kishin go BOOM. He should get the soul."

Cain smiled, stunned that they thought he deserved the soul. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, the rocker strolled down the sand dune, his feet leaving imprints in the hot sand. The defeated soul hung in the air before him, pulsing violently. Smirking, Cain grabbed the soul with his right hand, waiting for Opheila to absorb it. Opheila, however, absorbed souls in an unnatural way. Her strings began to glow as Cain put the soul on her, using the soul as a pick for the strings. Music filled the air as the soul gradually disappeared into Opheila.

After the soul was absorbed, the three weapons transformed back into their human forms, stretching their arms after being cramped up as weapons. Yao had reawakened and had dragged Maria from the sand, who he was now pulling across the desert surface. Despite this only being there second major battle, they were unharmed for the most part. Every member was grinning at their success, happy that they had won the day. Shinigami's special squad had gotten off the ground, and proved that they could work together. They might succeed at becoming Death Scythes yet.

XXX

Silence hung in the air as Stein collected himself, seating his lanky body in his spinning chair. His last statement that he had uttered had made the group uneasy to say the least. Without having to be asked, the weapons took form in their meisters' hands, who eagerly grabbed their partners hoping for some comfort. Zoe, cautious of the man they were facing, made a move to approach the mad doctor, but was stopped by an abrupt hand motion from Andreas. The spiky-haired teen grasped the ebony shaft of his scythe partner tightly, his white knuckles contrasting the black metal and chain that hung from Carressa. Beside him, Jake held his chokuto partners defensively, their blades perpendicular to his body in front of him. Both male meisters made moves toward Stein, their feet cautiously brushing up the worn dirt with every step. Smiling wickedly, Stein pushed the rim of his glasses further up his nose and beckoned for the two to come to him.

"Kuroi Gengetsu!" From the tips of Jake's blades, waves of black energy bursted forth, shooting directly at Stein. The waves of energy tore paths right through the dirt. Predictably however, the man they were hunting was prepared for the attack. Spinning around in his chair, Stein spun in a circle as the two blasts tore past him. Stein lifted his hand after he stopped spinning, only to snagged by a black chain. With a tilt of his head, Stein saw Andreas charging at him, the black blade of Caressa raised above his head. His battle cry filled the air, the teen ready to prove himself in this battle.

As Andreas was upon the doctor, Stein delivered a knee right into Andreas' gut, using his momentum to smash the teen through the glass window of his home.

"Interesting. Using dual partners' energy to send soul waves toward your opponent in a burst of energy. Good control of your wavelength, and good unity between partners. The other one relies mainly on physical strength, but also some strategy in the unique chain of your scythe. Some fine specimens indeed, let us continue."

Jake growled at his opponents' analysis of the meisters, his rage giving him strength to charge at his opponent. Another Kuroi Gengetsu blasted at the doctor, once again easily dodged by the wily doctor. This time however, Jake was ready for it. The chains from his partners snapped around Steins' chair leg, trying to yank the chair from Stein. The blades of the weapons were aimed at Stein's chest, eager to cut the cold flesh of the demon doctor. A stitched hand grasped the chains around the chair, yanking Jake forward. The palm of Stein crackled with gold lightning, the force of his soul wavelength bubbling forward. Jake's eyes bulged as he prepared for the blast from Stein. Luckily for the teenager, he was not alone.

Metal smashed Stein in the chest, the chain of Carressa shooting out of the window. Andreas charged once again, the blade actually striking the chair of Stein. The cut toppled Stein to the ground, allowing Jake to wrap his chains around Stein. Andreas whipped his own chain around so that Stein was on his knees, wrapped in black metal.

_"YEA, we got him!" _The voice of Delaine rang out in Jake's head, as the teen smirked at his victory.

"Excellent strategy. You two worked perfectly together without actually speaking. Now I'm bored with you two. Next test."

Stein's hands grabbed the chains around him and realized his soul wavelength into the chains. Yellow lightning shot up the length of the chains until it hit the hands that were holding them. Neither Jake nor Andreas had time to react, the force of Stein's overwhelming soul shooting both teams backwards, crashing them through the walls of the lab. Their partners reverted to human form, as they landed on their feet. The blast from Stein had caused the three weapons to be covered in scratches. Their partners taking the brunt of Stein's energy attack, so the weapons were still able to fight. Caressa's left arm became her scythe blade, while Delaine turned into a blade for Lucia to fight with.

"You stupid prick! How dare you do that to our partners! You are going down," shouted Caressa as she charged fire in her eyes, much like the eyes of her partner had.

Stein cracked his neck, unfazed by the young weapons' plans. Carressa bellowed as she brought her left arm down at Stein's neck. A single finger stopped Carressa's assault in its tracks, Stein barely moving a muscle. His right hand shot forward and roughly grabbed the blade of Carressa, allowing Stein to deftly toss Carressa away like a ragdoll. Beams of dark energy shot forward at breakneck speed at Stein, bursting forth from Delaine's blade. The beams bounced directly off of Stein's chest, leaving not a single burn mark. Lucia blasted forward at the mad doctor, her blade poised at his chest. Unfortunately, Stein smashed his elbow into Lucia's chest, sending the dark haired girl backwards.

"Not as interesting, you tried the same strategies as your meisters. You are nice specimens though, so I did not do much damage. Now who's next? You two are unlucky however, as I fight worse in my chair."

Zoe's knuckles had turned white as she had a death-grip on Vir's demon sword form. Zack's claw form pulsed with soul energy from Erin, who also was scared of Stein. As she nodded at Erin, Zoe began to slowly approach her opponent, Vir held out in front of her. Erin took position behind her, her claws pointed right at Stein. Their dreaded opponent just stood on looking, a queer smile on his face.

Knowing sooner or later one of them would have to make a move, Zoe bravely charged at Stein, Vir's blade gleaming sickly in the moonlight. The crimson blade tore through the air at Stein, the air chilling between the demon blade and the demon doctor. The chilled air was all the blade hit, as Stein effortlessly side-stepped to the left. A loud thump echoed in the air, causing Zoe to turn towards her opponent. Erin stood behind Stein, blood dripping from her three pronged claws.

Fear filled both girls soon however, as the effect of the attack was revealed. Stein slowly turned around, a demonic look on his face. Not a single grunt or remark about the three long cuts in his back. His hand glowed with a now familiar yellow lightning, his soul wavelength once again manifesting in his palm. The blow came quickly and without warning, Stein's glowing palm smashing into Zack's claw glove, the energy coursing through both weapon and arm. Erin leapt backwards, her face contorting in pain from her hand, still smoking from the residual effect. The wild grin spread wider across Stein's stitched face as he whirled around, catching Zoe's leg mid-strike. Monstrous was the only word that could describe the strength which flowed through the sick doctor as he threw Zoe away like a rag doll. Splintered wood pierced Zoe's soft body as the force of the blow sent the meister smashing through a tree.

Warm blood oozed out of Zoe's left hand, the splinters tearing into her arm. The concern filled voice of Vir rang in Zoe's head, the sword's eye gazing at the girl worriedly.

_"Are you okay Zo? This guy is a monster! How could Shinigami send us on this stupid mission, this is suicide!"_

_"Yeah I'm fine, but I can barely will myself to move. This monster just stops me where I am, look how quickly he beat us! Vir, what can we do?"_

From across the clearing, Erin and Zack were having similar thoughts. The team had more or less recovered from the assault, though both claw and arm were covered in scratches from the force of the lightning.

"This guy's a monster Zack! Did they train you to take out demonic, stitched up scientists in boot camp?"

"What do you think?"

Shrugging off the pain, Erin lunged once more at Stein, her claw blades pointed towards his chest. Stein got into a striking position, his glowing hands raised in front of him, the lightning crackling in the air. A split second before the blades connected, Erin tore her feet to the left, arching her body so that her blades tore into Stein's left side. The doctor couldn't counter fast enough, his hands passing through air, Erin now standing behind him with a determined look on her face. As Stein turned, a boot smashed into his pale face, the force of the kick sending him flying backwards.

"FORM-SHIFT!"

The shout pierced the air as Stein flew a blast of light appearing in the corner of his eye. Bringing his feet to the dirt, Stein was able to stop his body from flying backwards. Stopping in his tracks, he whirled around to face the light he had seen. Nothing stood where the light had been, the trees before him blowing in the night wind. Without warning, intense pain shot through his stitched form. Warm blood flowed from the diagonal cut that had been slashed across his chest, staining his dingy white lab-coat. Ignoring the pain, dulled by his corpse-like body, the mad doctor spun on his heels to catch the shining blade of Vir's saber form.

"Intriguing. When most meisters and weapons resonate, they gain some sort of power-up, be it a stronger attack or a new weapon form. You two however, seem to be able to change the shape and form of the weapon when you resonate! What do you call this ability?"

A smirk shot across Zoe's face as she responded, "We call it Formshift. We call you a sucker."

A grunt escaped from Stein as something impacted his back, sending blood flowing from his wounds. The doctor just in time to see Erin punched him a second time, the impact of the soul wavelength boosted punch blasting him forward. His hands shot out in front of him as he brought his body down, dragging both feet and hands to stop himself. A split second after he finally stopped, Stein was hit again from the side, a wave of ebony energy smashing into his unprotected side. The Kuroi Gengetsu launched Stein into the air, the remaining wave smashing into a tree and cutting it in two. Metal clanked as Stein's arm was snared, black chain sealing itself around the doctor. Two objects hurled past Stein, another chain smashing into his gut as they did. Spinning his head, the doctor saw Jake clutching both of his weapons and smirking at his victim.

The chain that bound Stein's arm spun off and snared itself around his chest, knocking the air out of him. Andreas appeared in the air above Stein, a victorious grin on his face. Black metal once more smashed into Stein as Carressa's weapon form impacted, sending Stein spiraling to the ground. Before he had even landed, the other two chains around his torso snaked around his body even more, growing tighter against his body. Both chain-bearing meisters landed next to the kneeling Stein, looks of determination etched on their features. Stein's hands began to crackle with yellow lightning, preparing to repeat the incident from earlier. The only thing that escaped from his hands was warm blood, as Erin pierced her claws gloves into his flesh. The tip of Vir's blade came to his throat, the cold steel pressed against his cold flesh.

"Excellent job, you all yielded some interesting data. Oh well, time for a new experiment. Take me away."

The sweating meisters shot quick glances at each other, not wanting to let Stein out of their sights. What had they gotten themselves into?

XXX

Steel met steel, the ringing of metal echoing in the mountains. The pure white snow that covered the entire area was speckled crimson, an effect of the battle that had been raging on the slope. Bits of garment were scattered over the ground, torn bits of the clothes the combatants wore. The only thing beside rock and snow visible on the battlefield was a stone doorway, revealing a bleak darkness.

The force of the impact from the blades connecting knocked Richter back, jarring the older teen. The clothes on his right shoulder were torn, a shallow bleeding in the space. Normally, an opponent like the one he was facing would have been easy for Richter to handle. Unfortunately for him, the enemies he had found over the ridge were united. All wore black robes that covered every inch of their bodies, save for their heads and faces, though hoods could be seen hanging from the back. There had been eight figures standing in the clear, now there stood four. This was not because Richter had triumphed against some of his opponents or because they had escaped. The real reason was the cause of Richter's struggle.

One of the enemies, a pale faced girl with short black hair and ruby red eyes, lunged at him, swinging her weapon at his body. The weapon she wielded was a large black flail; the head of the weapon was adorned with spikes with razor edges, each of which looked ready to rip flesh. Swinging the massive ebony head down with alarming strength and speed, the demonic girl was able to smash the ground where Richter stood. The girl's partner was a truly frightening weapon.

_"Hey Richter, what's the deal? Why haven't we trampled these guys yet?" _Eve's loud voice rang in Richter's head, the voice of the sword weapon conveying no sense of concern.

"_Are you alright Richter? You have sustained wounds and your body is showing signs of fatigue." _The voice of the axe weapon was far lower than that of her sister, actually conveying concern about the situation.

_"I'm fine. These clowns are starting to get on my nerves. Let's end this, this fight bores me."_

With that affirmation, Richter launched himself at his opponents, the black blades of both Eve and Gloria shining before him. One of the four opponents, who held a razor-edged saw blade in his hand, was slashed across his chest, Gloria's blade cutting through the cold flesh. Her sister's blade simultaneously pierced another opponent, his halberd not moving fast enough to counter the rapid strike. As both fell to the ground, Richter planted his feet in the crisp snow and delivered a punch to the third enemy's jaw, a loud cracking sound heard over the howling mountain wind. A sawed-off shotgun toppled out of his pale hands as he fell. As the enemies' blood spilled onto the snow, the female who had attacked Richter earlier swung the massive flail head going wide as Richter batted it away with his axe. A strong kick blasted the girl backwards, her dragging feet leaving tracks in the snow.

When she finally came to a stop, a snarl escaped from the girl's mouth. Her companions shot to their feet, jumping backwards from Richter as they moved. All four weapons abruptly turned into a solid black mass that flowed over the four. As the black masses engulfed the meisters, throbbing and pulsing as they covered the four, thin outshoots shot out of the masses, hanging in the air next to the meisters. When the pulsing finally stopped, four new weapons had formed in four new meisters' hands.

_"Impossible! They were both weapons and meisters at the same time? What are these guys? And come to think of it, why do they all look so similar?"_

Small facial details aside, all four of the new meisters were exact replicas of each other. More than that, three of the four other weapons had been replicas as well. Long black coats covered their bodies, deeply contrasting the pale skin of the male warriors. The same crimson eyes and black hair that the female had possessed were present in her companions, which chilled Richter to the bone. The new weapons in the warriors' hands were even similar to the warrior's own weapon forms. All of the weapons were jet black, with no defining features on the instruments of death. The forms the four had taken were that of a mace, a trident, two barbed knives, and a shotgun, all of which were held tightly in the enemies' hands.

With a crack of his knuckles, Richter beckoned his opponents to attack. The response from the enemies was instaneous, as all four of the clones charged the red-haired meister. Two of the enemies cut to the sides, trying to surround Richter, eager to trap the meister. One of the clones who had stayed in the front picked up speed as one of his counterparts charged in from the side. With a flourish, Richter dropped both of his partners into the snow, their hilts jutting upward from the ground. Knives and trident shot towards Richter, eager to shred his body. As both clones were upon Richter, flames burst from the meisters' right hand, while pieces of stone formed on his left foot. Earth and flame connected with their targets, blasting both enemies backward with a surge of soul wavelength. Not missing a beat, Richter brought his left foot down while raising his right, the flames and stones evaporating into the air. A blow from the mace wielder went wide as an ice-encased fist collided with his body, while his companion was slashed with blades of wind. Both of the meisters rocketed backwards, joining their allies in the snow.

"Humph. What a bunch of amateurs." Richter glared at the meister who were struggling to get to their feet again.

Without warning, the meisters suddenly stopped their attempts to get to their feet, their head shooting upward. The ground beneath them turned black, magic pulsing out of the circle that formed. As they sank into the ground, Richter only noticed one thing. A look of fear in their eyes, which were glued to a nearby peak. The wind began to howl even louder, blasting waves of ice and snow through the air. His view obscured temporarily, Richter tightened his grip on his two weapons, knowing that whatever could make emotionless husks flee in terror was not something to be taken lightly. A lull in the wind allowed Richter to gaze at the peak once more, revealing a terrify truth. The peak was empty of any life.

Searing pain exploded on Richter's back, the warmth of gushing blood emanating from his new wound. His blade hit nothing but air as he spun in counter-attack. A blow connected with his face, the force of the punch sending him shooting backwards. The sounds of howling wind mixed with the sounds of smashing stone as his body impacted the nearby mountain. Sliding to the ground, Richter went on his knees in pain from the rapid assault. As he looked up, the wind abruptly stopped, giving him a clear view of his assailant.

Richter's attacker stood calmly in the mid of the clearing, smiling at Richter with a grin like a demon. From the way the jacket protruded of off the man, Richter could tell that he was muscular and well built for his size. Short black hair blew in the cold mountain hair, the black bandages that were wrapped loosely around the man's wrists blowing in sync with his hair. A long white scarf was wrapped around the man's neck; the loose hanging ends resembling claws to Richter. Nothing, however, caught Richter's eyes like the man's eyes. Dark shadows wrapped around the man's diamond shaped eyes, the dark blue irises gleaming insanity at Richter. Just what was this man?

_"I can't hold back against this one, I have to go full force if I want to win this without getting severely hurt."_

Thrusting both of his weapons into the snow, Richter shot forward at the enemy, his hands bursting into flame and ice. Mortal summer and mortal winter smashed into the assailant, the flaming fist connecting with his jaw while the ice-covered fist plowed into his gut. Richter lunged backwards with a roar, his fists' energies disappearing. Both fists were launched into the assailant's chest, a massive pulse of soul wavelength coursing into the assailant as Richter's Enduring Equinox attack concluded.

"Jiiiii, was that an attack? That felt weird, but that's about all. Hey, you wanna see mine!"

Stunned that his soul pulse failed to have any effect on his opponent, Richter had no time to dodge the fists that connected with his gut. The force of the blow shot him backwards, blood spitting out of his mouth as he was sent backwards. Looking up in his pain, he noticed that the hand that hit him had SICKO tattooed on the fingers. Something smashed into his side, shaking his entire form. His body met rock once more as Richter collided with the mountainside again, sending snow raining to the ground. The scarf that hung around the man's neck was hovering near where Richter had just stood, the cause of the blow now apparent.

_"He can control his scarf? His soul wavelength was so...chaotic as well, my pulse was torn to shreds as soon as it hit. What the hell is this guy?"_

"Richter! Are you okay?" The voice of Eve escaped from the blade lying near Richter, real concern present this second time.

"Ooooh, you're a meister! Wait a minute, that axe must be one too! WHY DO YOU GET TWO WEAPONS! NO FAIR! You're a cheater! Jiiiiiiiiiii, I think I'll use mine too!"

The loud response shocked Richter, sounding not at all like something he would have expected from the man. Snarling, Richter grabbed the hilts of his partners, raising them defensively in front of him. His attacker took the bait, charging full force at Richter. Dull grey cloth shot out from behind the man, the scarf once again shooting at the meister. This time, however, the attack was expected. A strong kick from Richter sent the cloth smashing away, the scarf blasting to the side from the force. A left arm swung at Richter, only to be batted away by Gloria's axe blade. Eve's blade gleamed for a second before slashing at the enemy's chest, only to be blocked half-way.

A large black sword blocked Eve's blade, shocking both weapon and meister. The blade was curved downward in a crescent, a perfect weapon for beheading. The man flashed a toothy grin, glad that the reveal had shocked his opponent. It did not hold Richter's attention for long, however, as Gloria dug into the man's side. A grunt of pain escaped from the man's mouth as another blow smashed into his chest, Richter's knee digging into his torso. A slice from the black sword was parried by Richter, who swung to the side of the man. With a roar, Richter smashed the blunt end of Gloria into his opponent's head, ricocheting off of the thick skull.

The counterattack came quicker than Richter could have expected, the scarf smashing into his right leg. As he went down, Richter received a blow to the chest from the man, his strength once again sending Richter backwards. A slash from the curved blade was knocked away by Gloria's blade, the man's anger turning to his disadvantage. His chest opening, the man could only grunt as the blade of Eve sliced through his jacket, a thin line of red forming on his chest. A thrust at the man's chest from Richter was stopped dead, as the curved blade tore Eve from Richter's hand. The arc of the sweep that knocked Eve away allowed the man to strike immediately at Richter's chest, the blade looking to tear through the red-haired meister's chest. Thinking fast, Richter batted the ebony blade away with Gloria as stones burst from his foot. Rock met flesh once more as Richter drove his foot directly into the man's chest, the soul wavelength blasting out of the Enduring Autumn attack.

As the man's head richochetched backwards, Richter felt something wrap around his back. The scarf was now held tight around Richter's waist, though his hands were still free. Burning eyes, pulsing with hate, glared at Richter as the man's head snapped back into place.

"Darkurai, could you get serious about this thing? Waste this bastard!" Richter's eyes widened as a female voice escaped from the black blade that was pointed at his neck.

"You don't have to worry about that, this fight is through!" Darkurai's voice was filled with hatred as he glared at his opponent, the fire still burning in his dark eyes.

An Ah escaped from Darkurai's mouth as his tongue slithered out of the jagged teeth. Something glittered from deep in his throat as a gurgling sound filled the air. Golden metal rose out of the demonic man's throat, ending in an ornate point. Ornate brown metal could be see after the point, obviously a handle for the weapon, a vajra. A small orb of pulsing purple energy appeared in front of the point of the weapon as Darkurai opened his mouth wider. Horror gripped the trapped Richter as a massive beam of dark purple energy blasted at him, energy fired from a weapon that came from the monster's chest. The scarf tightened around his waist as the wave of energy impacted.

Stone and ice jettisoned from the nearby face of the mountain as the beam tore through the ancient mountain like paper. Snow and dust blasted into the air as the resulting explosion deafened any creatures nearby. As the vajra sank back down Darkurai's gullet, he snarled with rage. Richter lay in the bloodied snow, pieces of the scarf lying next to his form. As the scarf wrapped itself around Darkurai once again, the end could clearly be seen as sliced by a weapon. As Richter shot back to his feet, both opponents stared each other down, each impressed with the other's skill.

A loud rumbling from the mountain broke their concentration, allowing both men to take their eyes off their opponents to see what the noise was. A pile of snow that hung to the face of the moutain dislodged, crashing to the ground near Richter and Darkurai. The rumbling sounded again, dislodging more piles of snow into the clearing. Having an idea what was about to happen, Richter leapt backwards, his agility allowing him to reach the cliff he had been watching the dark meisters on. Darkurai followed suit, landing a good distance from Richter.

Their suspicions were confirmed when the rumbling grew louder as a slow rush of snow began to move from the peak of the mountain. The wave of snow sped faster as it tore down the mountain, the noise growing louder as it went. Shooting his head to look at Darkurai, Richter cursed. The demonic warrior was no longer standing there.

"_Richter, I think that he caused an avalanche!"_

_Gloria could be heard sighing in Richter's head. "Must you point out the obvious sister?"_

Knowing he had no time to escape down the mountain or out run the wave, Richter did the only thing he could. The red-haired meister stabbed the blades of his weapons deep into the snow and kneeled. He could only try to brace himself as the tidal wave of snow and ice collided with his form, drowning him as it continued on its deadly path down the mountain. Nothing could be seen of the meister as his body disappeared beneath snow and ice.

XXX

**Another chapter down. I apologize for taking a while on this one, and ending it on a cliffhanger once again. The story will continue and it won't take me three months to update. Thanks for reading and please review.**


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